when worlds collide
by doomed-flower
Summary: "Love is not always wise. I've learned it can lead us to great folly. But we follow our hearts wherever they might take us." - The four worlds in which Margaery and Robb could not be together and one in which they could.


After finishing A Storm of Swords I was basically a mess. So I decided to write this, which is my kind of therapy even though writing this broke my heart all over again.  
>Basically this is a compilation of different MargaeryRobb AUs. These will all be set in Westeros so no modernday!verse or anything. I just wanted to explore the different possibilities of what could have been (we could have had it alllllll) and well… some of these ended very badly, so be warned, you might need tissues….

This first one is loosely settled in a pre- A Game of Thrones world: Joffrey as King, no war, however the changes and how Margaery became Queen are explained later. Just imagine House Stark and the Baratheons being VERY close and Robb and Joffrey getting along quite well as children (unthinkable.., I know!) the rest is hopefully clear!

_**All I See Are King's And Thieves**_

_why are we so incomplete  
>when all I own is just dust and gold<em>

She hates nothing more than her crown. There was a time when she desired and dreamt of it, when all she lusted for was might and being the Queen although she never wanted to abuse those powers. Now she hates it more than anything: the heavy accessory on top of her head, the stiff material of her gown and the sweet smiles of people she knows would kill her in her sleep if she was not careful.  
>Her husband makes it no easier. His mood changes from adoring to cruel in mere seconds but over the years she has learned on how to act and what to say around him to avoid raising his temper. After King Robert and Lord Eddard Stark passed away tragically during a fight with bandits of the Vale, Joffrey was crowned King with his mother Cersei as Regent and to everyone's surprise appointed Robb Stark as Hand. Many had thought of another Lord like her own father, but even more so of a Lannister to strengthen their position in the capital. However, the crown needed the North and the Starks had not only proven to be a good alliance against Robert's brothers and defending the throne but the eldest son was a great strategist, seeming to know a lot about battle for his young age. Had Margaery not known that he had just seen his eighteenth name day when she met him, she would have thought him much older although he had a certain childlike gleam in his deep blue eyes that had fascinated her from the moment she came to court.<br>After Stannis was killed and Renly had fled to Essos with her brother, Margaery had been presented to King Joffrey like a conquered city and he had gladly agreed to marry her. She however, had barely registered his sweet words and compliments when she stood in the Great Hall before his throne as her gaze kept wandering to the man beside him, a man with fiery curls and a small smile tugging at his lips. She knew from the moment she laid eyes on Robb Stark he would be her undoing, but with the moons passing it seemed he was the only solace she had inside the Red Keep.

She lies down on her bed, her shoulders sore from sitting in the throne room for far too long. Joffrey trusts her as much as to let her be present when the common folk comes before him and she must admit she is a good addition to these occasions, calming his spirit and giving generosities to the people. But her back, her head, her _heart_ hurts now. She can still feel her husband's gaze linger on her when she stood to leave, still feel his hand squeezing hers possessively and wandering to her flat stomach. It makes her feel sick how happy her pregnancy makes him already because how is she going to survive this; how is she going to tell him?  
>A short knock on the door is the only warning she has and then he enters her room, quickly shuts the door and locks it so no one might disturb them.<br>"Took you long enough, my lord", she breathes and is in his arms before he can even make as much as one step in her direction. His lips break into a smile under hers. "Gods, I could barely listen to anything those people had to say with you looking at me like that", Robb whispers back his mouth now tracing the side of her neck he can reach while his hands encircle her waist and run up and down her spine. She shivers in his embrace. "We ought to be careful though, your smiles might be noticed." She does not answer, only wraps her arms around his middle and rests her head on his shoulder.  
>She does not remember how it came to this but after months of longing looks and shy smiles she somehow ended up in the Tower of the Hand, discussing the money for reparations in Flee Bottom with him. And in the middle of Robb arguing that <em>yes, he felt sorry for these people as well but they really needed all the gold they had to build new ships and repay their <em>_debts__ to the Iron Bank _she had grown so frustrated and tired of his excuses that she just needed him to shut up - only she did it by crossing the room and kissing him with so much force, it made him stumble backwards and into the wall.  
>They have been a secret ever since. Sneaking around when they think no one watches and even so much as sleeping in one another's bed when Joffrey is off to Casterlyrock or Storm's End or wherever he goes, she does not really care anyway. She knows she is playing a dangerous game and her father, brothers, grandmother would call her foolish if they knew but Robb is no game to her, he is so much more than that. When her husband decides to share her bed on those rare nights she hates his wandering hands and sloppy kisses and wants to kick him out but she suspects he might feel the same way. There is a reason she has not given him an heir after three years of marriage. No, Joffrey does not seem to enjoy sharing a bed with her or any woman for that matter as she has not heard of whores or bastards. Margaery however, enjoys herself very much whenever she is visited by Robb Stark.<p>

They are curled around each other, a tangled mess of arms and legs intertwined and heavy breaths floating over the other's skin. She needs to tell him, she knows she does but she cannot bring herself to let the words leave her tongue. It would change everything; it will cost their heads if the child is born with auburn curls and Tully blue eyes. She could lie if she wanted to, drink moon tea and let everyone think she lost the baby in an early stage of pregnancy like it happens so often. Joffrey would be furious and Robb would look at her with sad, knowing eyes but _they would be alive_.  
>If only there was not that desperate part of her that wants him to know that she is carrying his son or daughter, that wants to keep him or her and try to hold on to that small piece of happiness.<br>Dim moonlight shines through her window, lights his chest which she draws lazy circles on with her ring finger and if she does not tell him now she knows she never will. "I am with child", she whispers against his shoulder with her heart pounding rapidly, the words an incoherent mumble that he seems to understand nonetheless. She closes her eyes, waiting for his reaction. His entire body freezes under hers, his hands stop the slow movements on her back and she can feel his breath catch in his throat. "It is yours", she adds quickly, turning his face with a touch of her hand so she can look him in the eye, because she cannot possibly let him believe the other horrible option. "Joffrey has been to my chamber almost a moon ago but he was so drunk that he barely managed to take off his clothes before falling asleep. I swear-" He breaks her off with a feverish kiss, pressing her into the mattress and it catches her so off guard that she lets out a surprised squeal but returns it nonetheless and runs her fingers through his silky hair. She can feel him smile and when he breaks away and she can finally study his face, there is no worry or anger or frustration written on it. Instead he seems the happiest she has ever seen him, his eyes shining down on her, his lips curved into a grin and he looks at her with so much adoration and awe that she raises her hand to his cheek and kisses him again _and again and again_ until they are both breathing heavily.  
>"Run away with me." His words hang between them as her features turn from happy to worried, her grin fading as she shakes her head. The meaning of what he said knocks the breath out of her lungs. "Robb, I can't. You know I-"<br>"Yes, you can." He takes her hands in his, looking at her with almost desperate determination in his blue eyes. "There has been talk in the North of freeing our land, of becoming an independent kingdom. We could be safe; the three of us and when I am King there would be nothing-"  
>"What you suggest is high treason! You could never win a war. Your Lords may rise for independence but how many men could you gather? Thirty-thousand? Thirty-thousand men against a whole nation of armies, soldiers, knights and their wealthy Lords ready to defend Joffrey's honor. They would crush us before we even passed the Twins and then have our heads on spikes atop the castle walls." It makes her angry how blind he seems to the problem at hand. He cannot be so foolish to think they could run away, free the North and live out the rest of their lives in peace. She may be a wife but she is also the Queen, her responsibility is to all Seven Kingdoms and not only to him, even though she wishes it was not. She does not even want to think about what her family would have to suffer through if she betrays Joffrey. So she shoves him away and reaches for her night gown, pulling the cream, lacy silk over her head. "We cannot have this child, Robb", she says, her voice softer now and laced with the heaviness of her confession. "He would kill us all, your family, my family - they would all pay for our mistake."<br>"Then why did you tell me?" He sounds angry but she does not turn around, runs her hands over her face instead as if that is going to help her figure this out. "Because I thought you had a right to know", she admits quietly. She can hear him moving behind her and then his arms sneak around her body, his forehead pressed against her shoulder and the heat of his chest warming her back. For a few moments he only breathes in time with her but when he raises his voice again he sounds as dead as she feels: "If that is what you want." It is not. She wants to run away with him and never look back but there are things she simply cannot do, not even for him. So she just nods and tries to suppress the tears filling her eyes.

"I have thought about names already." Joffrey looks at her in his usual, arrogant way while he raises his glass to his lips and takes a large sip of sweet summer wine even though it is not even noon yet. They are seated in the solar, large doors to the balcony open wide so the fresh air can circulate through the room.  
>"Maester Amenius should not have told you of my pregnancy until we can be certain the child will survive. I have heard the first months are commonly known for miscarriages." She tries to change the subject. It had been a mistake to go to the new Maester she knows that now but she had been so confused and terrified that she did not seem to have a choice. She had thought the gold her grandmother paid him would keep him on the Tyrell side but of course that corrupt idiot of a man had told the King immediately and left her no other option but to act happy and overjoyed.<br>Joffrey eyes her curiously over the table, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, red streaks of wine coloring them as he reaches for her hand and squeezes it tightly. "Do not worry, my Queen. I know you are strong and will deliver a healthy son into this world." She tries to return his smile but it must look pained so her husband lets go of her. She feels sick even sitting across from him and discussing a child that is neither his nor will ever see the light of day. Even with Robbs arms safely locked around her the past night she could not find sleep and caught herself thinking about his proposal to run away. The thought makes her heart flutter and oh, she wants it with everything she is but it will curse every person she ever loved and she simply cannot do it if only for the sake of her family.  
>"So I had thought of Robert after my late Lord Father…" he talks on but Margaery does barely listen, picking at the bread on her plate with her fingers although she feels like she might heave if she eats one bite. She hates how he so confidently assumes it will be a boy and it makes her sad that she will never find out if it is.<br>"Your Grace, Lord Hand is here to see you", a servant announces and she feels like she is falling because _gods, can this morning get any worse?_ Normally she has no problem being in the same room with both men because she can play the loving wife and catch secret glances from her lover at the same time, but as Robb walks in she wants to run and hide in her chambers, her stomach twisting and turning with anxiety.  
>"Ah, Lord Stark what a wonderful morning, is it not?" Joffrey seems to not have lost his good mood and stands up, gesturing towards a third chair at their breakfast table. "Come now; sit with me and my Queen! We have good news to share with you."<br>Robb's gaze lingers on her a second longer than necessary, his face missing the usual friendliness and the blue in his eyes is as cold as winter itself. "Thank you, Your Graces", he nods. "But I am afraid I came because of other matters. There is a Small Council awaiting us, Your Majesty, whose meeting is of utmost importance today." He does not look at her again, his eyes focused on her husband and then on the floor like the loyal servant he tries to be. She furrows her brows at him and his words, because Small Council meetings are **always** important but Robb told her a year ago that he gave up on convincing Joffrey to attend them. It must be a very special matter indeed if he comes before the King now.  
>"Oh, but we have to tell you of the delightful news we received! I think it is finally time we share them with you, my friend."<br>"Joffrey-" She tries to stop him but he talks on as if he did not hear her but most likely he just does not want to. "Maester Amenius only just confirmed that the Queen is with child and soon our realm will have an heir to the Iron Throne that is not my whiny little brother."  
>She sees Robb's face harden for the blink of an eye but he hides it with a fake smile almost the same moment. She can tell it is not genuine by the way his eyes remain cold and icy, his lips do not break into that sweet grin, but she doubts Joffey will notice. Her heart aches nonetheless because all she wants to do is kiss the crease between his brows until it softens, but she remains seated, trying to avoid his gaze and she forces herself to smile sweetly. How did she get in a position where she is lying to her husband and lets him lie to her lover all the same? How did she get in a position where she is carrying an illegitimate child she tries to pass off as a royal heir?<br>"Congratulations, Your Graces. I understand that you might want to spend the day with your Queen, my King. I will attend the meeting on my own then, if you excuse me." He is out the door before anyone can say a word or she can even so much as try to stand from her seat and call out his name. She can only stare at the closed door and curse herself for ever being so foolish to let herself fall in love with him.  
>"It seems to me Robb Stark is jealous." Joffrey shrugs and for the worst of all seconds she thinks they have been discovered because it always seemed so impossible to go two years without being noticed by anyone. Her head snaps in his direction but as her gaze meets that of her husband, she can see the disinterest on his face. "I mean, he most likely wants a wife and child himself. I never understood why he remained on his own for so long, he is the Hand of the King and the Lord of Winterfell. He must have marriage proposals from all over the country." She does not answer just smiles and tries to eat some of her breakfast to fill the hole that has taken over her body.<p>

He is packing when she walks into his room and for a moment her head, her whole world is spinning because she thought it had been a mistake, because this cannot be true. "No", she breathes and is in front of him within a second, grabbing his hands and as he pushes them away she reaches for the clothes he has packed already instead and throws them onto the floor.  
>"Margaery", he tries to calm her but she does not look up, just grabbing blindly at things within her reach and turning his room into a complete mess with books and clothing scattered all over it. "How dare you?" Her voice is an angry scream but she does not care that someone might hear her. "How dare you announce your retirement as Hand and leave me alone with these… these monsters?"<br>"Margaery", he tries again but _oh no_, she is not finished yet. "Did you even plan on telling me? Or would you just have left and let Varys or Joffrey inform me of your departure?"  
>And finally, finally she looks up at him, her chest trembling with heavy breaths and she can see the anger and desperation she feels, that is most likely burning in her eyes, written on his face. Gods, she has never seen him more furious. "And when did you plan on telling me that Joffrey believes it is his child you are carrying?" She is taken aback then, her eyes widening while she leans away from him to study his face. Did it matter that much? As far as he knew there would be no child to bring into this world when she had the chance and it would not matter if the bloodied sheets were due to Robb or Joffrey. But of course it mattered and not only to him. It matters to her as well.<br>"I did not mean to. That idiot Amenius told him", she whispers and it only takes one, two heartbeats before he takes her in his arms and runs his hands through her long brown hair, whispering '_I am so sorry_' and '_I am a fool_' and '_I love you_'s into her cheek. Tears burn in her eyes, tears she has been holding back ever since she found out about the life growing inside of her. She knows it was not Joffrey's words that made him leave his position, she knows he must have decided it last night when they lay in her bed and she thought him to be asleep. But surprisingly, this does not matter to her. She made her choice the minute she heard of his and ran up the stairs to his chamber, and she cannot bring herself to regret it.  
>"I am coming with you then", she says and when he does not respond - not with a single sound - she leans back to look at him and repeats the words more loudly, slowly so they might get into that thick skull of his. "I am coming with you."<br>He sighs, his eyes closing for a second and a sad smile on his face, his fingers tracing her cheeks when he shakes his head. "Margaery…"  
>"No", she wipes angrily at her tears to hide the tracks they made. "I thought about it all day and when I heard you would leave, when I thought you would leave me and never come to see me again… I knew I did not want to live in such a world." She knows he wants to interrupt her because it seems he is the one who tries to reason now, make her see how foolish and risky and completely dumb their plan is but she will not let him talk her out of this, not now. "We can free the North if we and all those Lords and Ladies fight with all the strength in us, I know we can, and with the help of the armies of the Reach, of your uncle in the Riverlands and perhaps even your aunt in the Vale maybe we have a fair shot at winning this, maybe we have a chance to be happy." Her voice is softer now, a smile grazing her lips that he does not return although she knows he wants to. It was his suggestion they leave together and as much as he may wants her to believe that has changed, she can see in his eyes that it has not.<br>"It is dangerous", is the only thing he says and she sighs, raising her hands to frame his face, the corners of her lips turning upwards. "I would rather live a hundred dangerous lives by your side than only one without you." He kisses her softly then, shaking his head but silly laughter escape his mouth and it is sealed.

_Everything had gone so well_, she thinks. She had looked forward to a future at Robb's side and even if her marriage to Joffrey could never be invalidated, if they never won the war, she would have been at his side, with their child - illegitimate or not, what does it matter to them. Everything had gone so well until it had not.  
>"You think you can come to my castle, eat at my table, rule beside me and just steal my wife away?!" Joffreys voice is laced with venom, the cruelest she has ever heard him. The back end of the spear comes down again, hitting Robb in the stomach and a whimper leaves her lips as tears prick her eyes. Everything had gone so well until they were caught.<br>"You think you can put a bastard in her and that gives you the right to take her to your precious North and humiliate me in front of everyone?!" Another strike hits his face, leaving a bloody line on his cheek and she cries out with him as if it hurt her as well. "Please, Joffrey…", she begs and tries once more to free herself but Meryn Trant's grip is bruising on her arms, twisting them back in a violent angle.  
>Joffrey turns to her then, raising his finger and pointing at her furiously. "And you, you little <em>bitch<em>!" He stalks towards her, loud steps in the hall that echo from the red walls but she keeps his gaze. "You thought you could betray me, your HUSBAND, your KING, and give bastards to this traitor for what?" He shakes his head, runs his hand over his face and into his blonde hair and nods then. Her breath is knocked out of her the next second as the spear hits her in the stomach and she curls herself together trying to absorb the pain. _No, my baby_, she thinks, as Trant's foot comes down on her back again and again and she can hear Robb cry out and beg but she has no strength left in her to open her eyes or utter a sound. She just lays still, taking the pain and praying to the Gods they may forgive her as red and white overtake her.  
>"Love", she can hear Joffrey snort. "Look where love got you: a bastard in your belly, a traitor in your bed and it has turned you into a traitor yourself." Another hit, another scream - hers or Robb's, she is not sure - and then Joffreys disgusting laugh. "I will show you how much your love is worth now."<br>Hit after hit follows and leaves her body burning, aching until she goes numb; until she does not feel anything and just floats in darkness, praying that it might end soon.  
>She wakes up in her bed, the covers tugged safely around her and for a second she believes everything is alright, everything is fine until she tries to move her arm and it <em>burns, burns, burns<em>. Her throat is dry, her head hurts and when she opens her eyes she has to blink a few times to adjust to the bright sunlight. Joffrey sits at her bedside, a victorious grin on his lips and it all comes rushing back to her then: the child and Robb and their plan to escape, how they tried to make it look like they were just taking a walk through the city and how Clegane caught them and screams, blood and Robb, _oh Robb_….  
>She wants to scramble out of bed, bring as much space between herself and that monster of a King as she can, but she cannot even manage to move a limb. All he does is laugh at her helplessness and she feels sick even looking at him. <em>Why is she still alive?<em>  
>"Good day to you too, Your Grace." He spits her title out like it is venom on his tongue and her fingers curl into fists around the thin sheets. She wants to say something, ask why she is still alive or what he is doing here or most importantly where Robb is, but her throat burns and all she can do is make an incoherent sound. He laughs again.<br>"If you are wondering why I left you alive even though you are a traitorous whore… as much as I feel disgusted even looking at you, you are the key to the hearts of the people and I could not execute you without risking a riot. And that crippled brother of yours might rise in rebellion. It is enough that we have a war at our hands that includes the North alone; I do not need more problems." Her heart sinks, the breath knocked out of her at his words because if the North has risen in rebellion it can only mean one thing and that cannot be true, no it cannot. Tears build in her eyes but she tries to hide them, turning her head away while her whole chest contracts in pain. _No, no, no_… "Do not think you can ever betray me that way again - then I will have your head. Too sad I cannot have yours next to his, you would make such a beautiful pair." She wants to scream but all she can get out is a muffled sound and he laughs again, loudly and open mouthed and so disgustingly spiteful that with all her strength, she tries to throw herself at him, fists first to scratch at his eyes or strangle him with bare hands but he pushes her back easily and she falls into the pillows, curled away from him without any will left in her. "I will tell the Master to bring you moon tea now", is all he says before she can hear him leave and lets her tears fall freely. Everything had gone so well and now she had lost all she ever loved.

_She is a Tyrell_, she thinks, when they carry away the blood stained sheets, the only remaining thing of a child that should have had chestnut hair and deep blue eyes and run around Winterfell with silly laughter on its lips.  
><em>She is a Tyrell<em>, she thinks, when hateful gazes linger on her while she walks through the castle and she can hear them whisper **whore** and **traitor** behind her back.  
><em>She is a Tyrell<em>, she thinks, when Joffrey lets one of his Kingsguard hit her until she is covered in blue and green bruises and he laughs so hard he almost falls off this damned throne.  
><em>She is a Tyrell<em>, she thinks, when he shares her bed with rough hands and painful thrusts and she bites back tears because she cannot give him that satisfaction.  
><em>But she could have been a Stark<em>, she thinks, when she hears word of the North freeing itself and Robb's bones being sent to Winterfell. She could have been a wolf with claws and sharp edged teeth instead of a simple rose with small thorns.  
>She is a Tyrell but she would have been a Stark, the Queen in the North, mother of a Prince or Princess and heir to the kingdom. She would have been until those dreams were crushed in front of her, until Robb's head was put on a spike above the castle walls and they made her kill her own child; until they ripped out her beating heart.<p>

A hundred years later, she will be known as **Margaery the Strong** or the **Queen of the Common Folk** but there will be tales whispered of _Margaery the Heartbroken_ and songs _of Margaery the Miserable_. Mothers will tell their daughters the story of the most beautiful Queen with the kindest of hearts but that when they beheaded her secret beloved, she lost all ability to smile. She was a gracious ruler, helped the poor wherever she could and was an inspiration to any woman as she gave birth to two daughters and a son, endured the assaults of her husband, _Joffrey the Cruel_, and outlived him as well. But rumors have it that when her son Robert, the Second of his name, of the Houses Baratheon and Tyrell, was born she always called him Robb and when she died her last wish was for her bones to be brought to the Kingdom of the North and buried at Winterfell next to the _King Who Never Was._

* * *

><p>As I said there will be four more of these. Also please note that English is not my mothertongue so I would appreciate it if you could point out any grammarspelling mistakes so I can correct and learn from them. :)


End file.
